


The Despairful Killing Disease

by Queenofdragons6



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Bullying, Motive Swap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 19:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10906365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queenofdragons6/pseuds/Queenofdragons6
Summary: (Title is a work in progress.) Chapter 3 motive swap/AU.





	The Despairful Killing Disease

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kokichiouma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kokichiouma/gifts).



> Inspired by Harmony Killing Disease and kokichiouma’s metas on tumblr. Let me know if I made any mistakes.

_Ding-dong!_

“Eh?” Shuichi groggily mumbled.

_Ding-dong ding-dong ding-dong ding-dong!_

The franticness of the doorbell snapped Shuichi out of his confusion and he scrambled to get out of bed and to the door. He swung the door open and the person on the other side rushed in, nearly slamming into him.

“Saihara!”

It was about the last person he was expecting. “H-Harukawa-san!?”

She looked deeply panicked. “Saihara! It’s terrible!”

“Wh-What is?”

“Th-The cafeteria! Head to the cafeteria!”

With that, she ran off, leaving Shuichi to stare after her in confusion and concern.

_…I…don’t understand what that was about… But for something to leave her that shaken… I’d better go check it out._

He steeled himself up and left the room. Almost immediately after leaving, he noticed Momota standing by the doors leading outside.

Upon seeing him, Momota said, “Did Harumaki wake you up too?”

“Yeah,” said Shuichi. “We should get going. It sounds serious.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”

The two boys ran out of the dorm building together and ran through the courtyard to the door leading directly to the cafeteria from the outside. But when Shuichi tried the door…

“Eh? It won’t open.” Furrowing his brow, he tried the door again. “Doesn’t feel like it’s locked…”

Momota sighed. “Guess we’ll have to go the long way.”

They ran back around to the front of the school. As Shuichi opened the main doors, a chime rang throughout the school. He knew what it was even without glancing at the monitor in the entrance hall; the morning announcement (which, when all it showed was a balding Monokuma, wasn’t much of one). Shuichi idly wondered why Harukawa had been up before the morning announcement, but concern over what might’ve been going on in the cafeteria was at the forefront of his mind.

The boys ran through the hallways to the cafeteria. Shuichi swung the doors open…

…And the sight that greeted them left them only able to stare in shock.

Near the center of the room, Gonta chuckled sadistically as he held Oma, who almost seemed to be crying, off the ground by his hair. Iruma and Harukawa were unsuccessfully attempting to make Gonta release his grip on Oma, with Iruma going as far as biting Gonta’s wrist.

“Shuichi,” said Momota.

“Yeah?”

“Am I hallucinating?”

“I…don’t think so.”

Iruma looked over at them and said, “Don’t just stand there, help us!”

After a few seconds, Momota strode up to Gonta and yelled, “What the hell are you doing!?”

“What does it looking like I’m fuckin’ doin’?” Gonta replied crassly.

“Why!?”

“Because it’s fun!” Gonta sneered, swinging Oma around a bit.

Momota took a step back, seemingly unsure of what do to.

Shuichi couldn’t blame him. The thought of Gonta (or any of them, really) behaving like that would’ve been incomprehensible. And yet…

“These guys are useless,” Iruma complained, still holding onto Gonta’s arm. “At least everyone else should be getting here soon.”

No sooner had she said that…

“Eeeehhhh!? Gonta!?” yelled Chabashira.

Shuichi spun around to see everyone else standing behind him, looking in through the door.

Chabashira was reeling in surprise, Shinguji had a startled expression, Yumeno stared at the scene looking mildly confused, and Angie… Shuichi wasn’t sure how to describe Angie’s expression.

“G-Gonta-kun!” Keebo exclaimed. “What are you doing!?”

Anger flared in Gonta’s eyes. “I’m not answering that fuckin’ question a third fuckin’ time!”

“Stop swearing already!” Iruma yelled as she tried to pull Gonta’s arm down. “It’s disgraceful!”

“…Is Tenko dreaming?”

“…A third time?” said Shinguji.

“I can’t see!” Shirogane said as she pushed her way to the front, stopping beside Shuichi. “Wh-What?”

“Oh my, oh my~” Angie finally said. “What a surprise.”

“How can you be so calm!?” Chabashira yelled.

“Why…do they all have dark circles around their eyes?” Shirogane asked, pointing towards the group in the middle of the room.

“Eh?” Shuichi looked again at the people behaving strangely. He hadn’t taken note of it before, but Iruma, Harukawa, Oma, and Gonta (though it was harder to tell, given his expression) all had dark circles around their eyes.

Before anyone else could comment on it, however, the Monokuma Kubs appeared.

“G-Gonta!” Monotaro exclaimed. “What are you doing!?”

“Gonta! Please stop!” Monofunny begged. “W-We all need to get along…”

“…RELEASE HIM,” Monodam said flatly.

The frightening aura around Gonta seemed to intensify. “Make me.”

Seconds later, Monodam disappeared and the green Exisal appeared in the cafeteria.

“RELEASE HIM OR I SHALL USE THE EXISAL ON YOU.”

Everyone except Harukawa (who kept her gaze solely on Oma) stepped away from Gonta, as though afraid of getting caught in any crossfire.

“B-But Monodam!” Monofunny protested. “You might hit Oma!”

Monodam didn’t respond. Gonta glared at the giant robot, as though silently daring it to attack him.

The two of them stayed like that, unmoving. Everyone else stared on, creating an uneasy silence.

Shuichi swallowed nervously. _Is…Is he really going to-?_

“Fine.”

Gonta let go of Oma’s hair. Harukawa dashed forward, grabbing Oma before he could hit the ground, and stopped by the group near the door, glaring at Gonta while keeping Oma close to her.

The green Exisal then disappeared, Monodam reappearing as though nothing had happened.

Shuichi gave a silent sigh of relief.

“Phew…” Monofunny said. “I was afraid I would have to see something gory.”

“But, if you think about it, isn’t it really weird for Gonta to act like that? Or Iruma or Harukawa?” said Monotaro.

Seemingly ignoring them, Yumeno looked at Oma and said, “What did you do?”

Oma pulled away from Harukawa and angrily said, “I didn’t do anything! He just came in here and started punching me!”

Shuichi took the opportunity to get a closer look at the dark circles around Oma’s eyes. They were a very dark purple, almost black, and they made Oma’s eyes look like they were sunken in. The effect was mildly unsettling.

“…I don’t believe you,” Yumeno said simply.

“It’s true,” Iruma suddenly said, having crossed to their side of the room. “Gonta was punching him when I came in, and it’s why Maki went to get Saihara and Momota, even though they ended up not helping much.”

Iruma glanced warily at Gonta, who hadn’t moved from the center of the room.

“And…why was Gonta-kun hitting Oma-kun?” Shinguji asked.

“Cause he was there,” Gonta replied, sounding as though the answer was obvious.

Shinguji blinked, the surprise not leaving his eyes. “…Is that the only reason?”

“Well, it was also fun to watch the little bastard squirm,” he added with a smirk.

Everyone was silent, unsure of how to respond.

Shuichi turned to face Oma and said, “Oma-kun, how do you feel?”

“Sore,” Oma said while giving a strained smile. “And sick.”

“Huh?”

Oma’s expression shifted to one of surprise and dismay. “I hadn’t meant to say that last part.”

Keebo gently pushed Shuichi aside. “Perhaps…”

He placed his hand on Oma’s forehead…and nearly collided with Shuichi as he jolted backwards.

“O-Oma-kun has a very high fever!” Keebo cried.

“Huh?” Shuichi exclaimed.

Keebo put his hands on Iruma and Harukawa’s foreheads. “They all have high fevers!”

“Aren’t you gonna feel my forehead?” Gonta asked, smirking.

Keebo shuffled nervously. “Uh… I think your behavior is enough reason to suspect that you’re the same.”

“So an illness is the cause of their strange behavior,” Shinguji noted. “But I’ve never heard of an illness that causes such…dramatic changes to one’s character.”

“Hey Monokuma Kubs!” Iruma yelled. “Can you tell us what’s going on here?”

“We don’t know…” Monofunny whined.

“Monodam,” Monotaro said, “any idea what’s going on?”

Monodam was silent. After a few seconds, his entire body paled. “IT…CANNOT BE.”

“Huh?”

Before Monodam could say anything, the balding Monokuma appeared.

“Daddy!” exclaimed Monotaro and Monofunny in unison.

“Daddy, please tell us why everyone’s acting so weird!”

There was no response.

“Daddy, please say something!”

There was still no response.

And then another, fully-furred Monokuma appeared on the table. “Ah, that was such a nice vacation. It’s too bad I had to cut it short.”

“Wh-!? Daddy!?” Monotaro exclaimed.

Monofunny looked baffled. “But… How is…?”

Monokuma pointed at his balding counterpart. “Oh, that’s just a stand-in.”

“Monokuma, you bastard!” Momota interrupted. “What’d you do to them!?”

“What’d I do to who? Oh, you mean the four people that are acting weird, right?” Monokuma grinned. “Well, I don’t think I have to explain it to you, since you’re all so quick-witted!”

“Don’t tell me…” Shuichi said.

Monokuma chuckled. “That’s right, this is the new motive for you all! Back by popular demand, it’s the Despair Disease!”

“Despair Disease!?” Chabashira yelled.

“I have never heard of such an illness,” Shinguji noted.

“What do you mean by ‘back by popular demand’?” asked Shuichi.

“Don’t sweat the details,” said Monokuma. “Anyway, as its name suggests, the Despair Disease is a reaaaally annoying disease where you get a high fever, along with various symptoms that are full of despair! Those symptoms are different based on the person. For instance, Gonta-kun has the Bully Disease, Harukawa-san has the Caretaker Disease, Oma-kun _probably_ has the Honesty Disease, and Iruma-san… Not sure how to sum it up in a few words, but I think it’s pretty obvious.”

“So they all have symptoms that are the opposite of their normal personalities…” Shirogane said.

“Wait,” Oma said, “what do you mean I have the Honesty Disease?”

Monokuma looked at him curiously. “It means exactly what it sounds like. You’re _probably_ incapable of lying.”

The look of incredulous dismay on Oma’s face was unlike anything Shuichi had ever seen. “…You have got to be kidding me.”

“Anyway,” Monokuma continued, “right now, only four people have the Despair Disease. But be careful! It can be passed from person to person just like a cold!”

“It’s contagious!?” yelled Yumeno.

“Don’t let your guard down just because you don’t have the disease. It’d be awful if everyone got sick…”

“How do we treat it?” Shuichi asked.

Monokuma gave him a confused look. “Why…is there a need to treat it?”

“And why would you give us a motive now!? It hasn’t even been three days since the last trial!” Keebo yelled.

“Don’t interrupt me!”

“No, no, he’s right!” Oma yelled angrily. “This isn’t fair!”

“Et tu, Oma-kun?”

“Why would you do something like this to us!? Why…” Oma began to sway. “Why would…a-any…one…”

Oma’s legs buckled underneath him. Harukawa quickly grabbed him and gently lowered him to the floor, kneeling down to examine him.

“H-He collapsed!?” Iruma stuttered.

“Upupupu… Now that you’ve all been given a new motive, how will things develop? Will the killing start after everyone gets the Despair Disease…? Or even before that…? I’m so excited, I’m going to stand around naked! Juuust kidding. I’m always naked.”

With that, Monokuma disappeared.

“Hey! Get back here!” Shuichi yelled.

Monokuma reappeared, this time standing on the floor. “What is it?”

“Where exactly do you expect us to keep them?” _I honestly didn’t expect him to actually come back…_

“Indeed,” said Shinguji. “We do not have access to any medical facilities or a place to sleep besides the dormitory, for that matter.”

Monokuma stared at them for a few seconds too long. “…It’s not that big of a deal. I mean, it’s not like Oma-kun is foaming at the mouth or anything.”

Shuichi briefly glanced at Oma lying on the floor. He was, indeed, not foaming at the mouth.

“Now if you don’t have any important questions,” Monokuma continued, “I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Monokuma once again disappeared.

“Hey, get back here you bastard!” Momota yelled.

This time, Monokuma didn’t come back.

“…Dammit!”

“Is Tenko the only one suspecting that Monokuma didn’t think this motive through?” Chabashira asked.

Harukawa hoisted the semi-conscious Oma onto her back. “We need to take him somewhere he can rest. Monofunny.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Please give us access to any medical facilities in this place.”

Sweat drops went down Monofunny’s face. “Um… I’m not sure we’re allowed to do that…”

“Even if we can, it wouldn’t matter anyway,” Monotaro said.

“Do you mean to say there are no medical facilities in this place!?” Shinguji exclaimed.

Monofunny buried her face in her paws, groaning.

“Not as far as I know…” Monotaro replied.

“Then… What should we do?” Chabashira asked.

“At a time like this,” said Yumeno, taking a prayer pose, “we should consult with God.”

“I don’t think that’s going to help us…” Iruma said.

“We can’t use the dormitory,” Shinguji said. “If it’s as contagious as Monokuma claims it to be, then keeping the sick there would put the rest of us at risk.”

“God says we should use the love hotel!” Angie said suddenly.

“But we can’t get in there…” Shirogane pointed out.

“I think we can arrange for that,” Monotaro said. “What do you say, Monodam?”

“…SURE.”

Shirogane looked almost incredulous. “Really?”

“ADJUSTMENTS TO THE LOVE HOTEL WILL BE NECESSARY. PLEASE WAIT AT LEAST 30 MINUTES.”

With that, both Monodam and Monotaro disappeared, leaving Monofunny behind.

Monofunny looked uncertain. “…I guess I should help them…”

Then she, too, disappeared.

The students stood in silence for a few moments.

Shinguji was the first to speak up. “It might be wise for us to move to another place. If the disease is as contagious as Monokuma claims it to be, then it would be risky for those of us yet uninfected to remain here.”

After a few murmurs of agreement, the group left the cafeteria, the diseased following behind.

Iruma looked back while they walked. “Gonta’s not following us…”

“That’s fine. We can deal with him after we figure out where we’re going to stay,” Harukawa replied, not looking at her.

That fact that Momota had fallen to the back of the “healthy” group hadn’t escaped her notice.

Oma said nothing, but had loosely wrapped his arms around Harukawa’s neck instead of letting them dangle over her shoulders.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey look, it’s the Despair Disease. With an extra symptom thrown in, because why not.


End file.
